KTF Weekly Newsletter: Electroshocks, Muslims and Christians, God Wants You to Be Rich
July 22, 2021
Hi everyone,
In light of the recent devastating DACA ruling, we are more grateful than ever for the voices of advocates like Pastor Milly Aquije, whose contribution to our anthology was reposted this past week as a two-part series on the My Undocu Life blog. Please take a moment to connect with her story as one of many whose lives decisions like these profoundly affect.
Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, do read the moving piece Jonathan wrote for Chasing Justice last week about the way Black worship permeates his existence, his family’s life, and his community. After you’ve read that, stopped to take several deep breaths, and prayed for a while, here are this week’s resources.
Sy’s recommendations:
The disability rights community has had a saying for several decades: nothing about us without us. It’s a simple reaction to the unfortunate fact that when it comes to making decisions about disabled people, on an individual or systemic level, the needs and desires of those people often go ignored. The conversation around those decisions is also frequently defined by the perspectives of non-disabled people. An exception to this trend is last week’s article in the Independent by autistic journalist Eric Garcia. Writing about the FDA’s attempt to ban the horrific practice of electric shock therapy on autistic students, he explains the terrible things that can happen when non-disabled people as close and loving as parents determine what is best for their disabled children without referencing disabled perspectives.
The current political crisis in Haiti has some important context that a lot of the people offering solutions are missing. As UVA African Diaspora Studies professor Marlene Daut reminded us last week in the Miami Herald, Haiti’s poverty and lack of development throughout its history are directly tied to the forced reparations France made Haiti pay following the Haitian Revolution. Yes, you read that correctly. France made the former Haitian slaves pay France after they liberated themselves. And this is just one of the many ways in which white governments throughout the last two hundred years have tried to thwart Haiti in its attempts to govern itself. As Professor Daut explains, Haiti is one of the easier cases for reparations. Relatedly, Duke Kwon and Gregory Thompson, the authors of a book I previously recommended called Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair, wrote a two-part, must-read post for the Front Porch blog. It is a long reflection on a negative review of their book, but more importantly, it is a careful, thoughtful, step-by-step dissection of white theological instincts that lead so many to reject even a discussion of an idea like reparations. It’s really powerful. Don’t miss it. Part one is here, and part two is here.
Suzie’s recommendations:
In a previous newsletter, Jonathan recommended Esau McCaulley’s formative work, Reading While Black. This past week McCaulley published a powerhouse op-ed in the New York Times entitled, “Why Christians Must Fight Systemic Racism.” In a succinct manner, McCaulley masterfully lays out a compelling biblical argument, addressing some of the prevalent accusations and fears along the way. He explains why an acknowledgement of systemic racism is more than just “woke” theology- it is tied to the basic tenets of our faith, grounded in our scriptural understanding of individual and collective sin and the need for perpetual self-examination. This piece should be required reading for all Christians in America.
Despite the Islamophobia prominent in the post-9/11 era and further brought to the fore by the Trump administration, there are encouraging developments in Muslim-Christian relations that are the fruit of years of good work. One such initiative is the recent launch of a partnership between the world’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) “to prevent the political weaponization of identity; curtail the spread of communal hatred; promote solidarity and respect among the diverse people, cultures and nations of the world; and foster the emergence of a truly just and harmonious world order founded upon respect for the equal rights and dignity of every human being.” The formal announcement of this strategic alliance accompanied the release of the interfaith anthology, God Needs No Defense: Reimagining Muslim–Christian Relations in the 21st Century, published in honor of Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher, the CEO and Secretary General of the WEA. For more on the inspiring witness of the WEA, check out our Shake the Dust episode featuring WEA Advocacy Officer, Wissam al-Saliby.
Jonathan’s recommendations:
Followers of Jesus should be concerned about systemic injustice. In addition to that we must understand the systems and structures toward which we want to speak prophetically. One of those systems that we must engage with rigorously is capitalism if we are to leave colonized faith. NPR’s ThroughLine’s recent three-part series is a great primer on our economic system and how white American evangelicalism intersects and upholds it. This won’t just give you talking points at your next post-COVID party, but solid contributions to your thinking around the economic underpinnings of our society; and how Jesus might be inviting you to leave a colonized view of money and finance. Pay particular attention to Episode 3 – “God Wants You to Be Rich!”
Alongside this big picture resource, it’s helpful to have things that bring us home. A recent blog post on Chasing Justice by Kat Armas showed her journey with Jesus into what she calls “abuelita faith.” She writes, “My journey began to be shaped by the desire to learn about Jesus from the perspective of los humildes—the colonized, the marginalized, those who didn’t get to write the history and theology books.” Abuelita Faith is also the title of Armas’s upcoming book from Baker Publishing. Pre-order your copy here or from your local bookstore!
Shake the Dust preview
Tomorrow’s episode is part two of the hosts’ conversation reflecting on what we have been hearing from our guests. We cover how and why to think about perspectives not represented at the tables where we find ourselves sitting, the overemphasis on certainty and control in colonized faith, why suffering is a greater theological problem in white churches, how power and security detract from faith in Jesus, and a lot more. This one, if you couldn’t tell, will cover a lot in a short space. Happy listening!
Thanks a lot for reading, and we’ll see you next week!
The KTF team